Multiverse Reincarnation Network: Chronicles of the Nara Gamer
by Type-Midgard
Summary: Each Universe is but a branch that belongs to a much larger tree. Makoto Tachibana gains the ability to travel between worlds and live the lives of epic heroes from both fiction and reality, but there is a catch. He must die in one world and be reborn into the next. Makoto chose to be reincarnated into the Naruto Universe, but not without making plenty of changes of his own.
1. Chapter 1: Rebirth

Tachibana Makoto limped down a crowded street, surrounded by the lively buzz of a big city. He took slow and steady steps, taking upmost care not to fall. Not half an hour before, he tripped down the stairs of the local library and twisted his ankle, and likely strained a great deal more. Makoto's shoulder hadn't fared much better in the fall, but he was within sight of the bus stop that would take him home for food and rest.

Makoto sighed and rubbed his sore shoulder, noting that it didn't have any sharp pain.

"What did I do to deserve this...?"

That was as good a sign as any that nothing was seriously wrong with it, so when he arrived at the bus stop, he leaned against a post with his back avoiding his bad shoulder as much as possible. Sparing a glance to his leg, he wondered if he'd be able to get up if he sat down right now so didn't even try the bench.

It had been a long day for the book-absorbed youth, who had spent the better half of his off day reading fiction novels of modern and historical significance, with the occasional tale of real heroes. Whether their name be Gilgamesh, King Arthur, Charlemagne, Thor, Iron Man, Harry Potter, Goku, Naruto, the list of his interests went on.

Makoto was a nerd and proud, a man with nothing but admiration for the writers that brought so many heroes to life. He even dreamt of rising to challenge them one day, with great stories of his own. Alas, he would soon find out that he never would, in this life.

After boarding the bus, what seemed a boring ride quickly spun out of control when a giant 50ft trailer broke off from the truck pulling it down an inclined side street. After the snap of metal, there was a scream that went unheard by those trapped on the bus. The trailer slowly picked up speed, the road behind it wide open and empty.

Some sort of divine instinct compelled Makoto to look outside his window beyond the countless faces on the sidewalk. He caught sight of the trailer far too late to move, but he still tried anyway. Coincidence became misfortune when his left leg gave out, and he fell back into his seat staring at the oncoming mass of metal on wheels.

The last thing Makoto remembered was a loud crash, as deafening to his ears as an explosion. He felt no pain, in fact he had no more thoughts at all. Everything that used to be 'Tachibana Makoto' became blank.

#

A screen appeared in front of a dazed figure, only seeming to be vaguely aware of its own consciousness within the world of white.

[Welcome to the Network. This plane serves as both the glue that binds the multiverse together and as the pathways to reach each conceivable iteration of this universe and every other. As a pure youth who died before he really lived due to extreme misfortune, you have been given special rights regarding your reincarnation.]

"Rein...carnation...? " Makoto read the message box over a dozen times before his memory and consciousness finally took hold.

"The last thing I remember was getting on that bus and... Oh god! I really died!" Makoto panicked for a moment, having an extremely hard time catching his breath.

This is real. That crash killed me instantly... Nobody could have survived that.

While Makoto was struggling to come to terms with reality, he pressed the 'arrow' button in the corner of the message to display the next one. If he was dead, and that message was real, he still had a path.

[You may choose any world that you wish to reincarnate into, and will receive Administrator Privileges that will allow you to make the most of your new life. If you refuse you will be reincarnated randomly with no memory of your previous life.] [Warning! Refusing gives a high chance of non-human reincarnation and likely a quick death.] [Do you accept?] [Y/N?]

That was an easy enough question to answer. Makoto quickly selected yes.

[Reincarnation specifications approved. To choose the universe you will live in, please select one of the following options. *Popularity will define the search of universes by how much you enjoyed their stories personally in life.]

{Browse} {Search} {Sort by: Average Power Level/Population/Difficulty/*Popularity} {Random}

"Hmm... I'd love to look through here all day, but, I already have my answer."

Makoto smirked faintly and pressed Search, and then input Naruto without any need for a keyboard, only his thoughts displayed the words on screen.

[Which era would you like to live in?]

{Era of the Divine Tree} {Kaguya's Reign} {Birth of Ninshu} {Rise of Ninjutsu} {Warring Clans Era} {Shinobi Village Era(Canon Naruto/Shippuden)} {Ninja Tech Era (Canon Boruto)} {Custom}

The last option made Makoto's heart skip a beat. Could he really do it? Customize the history of the Naruto Universe to his own liking? He certainly had to try. Makoto smirked and picked Custom.

From here he was given a plethora of options, and while he had complete control over the lives of characters, he couldn't exactly write them out. All he could do was observe and manipulate their roles in the story. He left everything that happened between the Ten Tailed Beast, Kaguya Ootsutsuki, and her sons as they occurred in canon, as well as the history of Ninshu afterward spread by Hagoromo, the Sage of the Six Paths. Here is where Makoto began to make changes.

Black Zetsu failed to turn Indra against Asura but succeeded in rewriting the Uchiha Tablet, biding his time and working in the shadows until he could bring the revival of Kaguya to fruition. He would later succeed in bringing about the Warring Clans Era, but the Uchiha and Senju Clans were inseparable allies despite Madara, a loved former ally, betraying them after awakening powerful new eyes after the tragic death of his brothers almost systematically. This allowed him to read much of the altered Tablet, leading to what he saw as his last chance of salvation. Hashirama Senju and the Uchiha were the first to form a ninja village, and soon enough the other clans began to do the same in their own countries. Most things were on track for canon, and yet many things were different.

Makoto spun the tales of many characters across the shinobi world, creating both new friends and foes to meet, however, once Makoto rewrote Naruto up to the timeline of canon events, specifically the Kyuubi Incident, he couldn't entirely resist living the rest out with the characters he had come to love.

He wanted to live his own story of course, but that could always come later. Before any of that, Makoto wanted to see how the changes he made would impact the future of this universe. The final edit Makoto made was to ensure the survival of Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Kushina.

Makoto finalized the editing and submit his parameters, and a new message popped up.

[Universe selected. Reincarnation date and time, set. Happy Hunting!]

Just like that, the blank world changed form and birthed the new world of Naruto.

#

A shrill howl echoed across Konohagakure as The Nine Tailed Fox was pushed out of the village with minimal casualties due to the efforts of Hiruzen and the Legendary Konoha Sannin- Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru. While they fought, Minato dispatched the Masked Man controlling the fox. After their fight was over however, Minato was approached by a black-cloaked five-year-old child with a blank, featureless white mask.

"Who the...? I have no ANBU like you. Name yourself!"

"You can call me... Blank."

His childlike voice was oddly pitched, leaving an eerie ring in the Fourth's ear.

"I came to present a solution to our fox problem."

Despite the suspicious glare Minato wore, he responded well enough.

"Explain."

"I'm aware that you plan on sealing Kurama into your son... I ask that instead you seal him into me."

"Kurama...Is that the fox's name? You want me to seal him into a stranger?"

"Trust me. Nobody understands the true nature of the Biju like me."

"No."

Before Blank could do a thing, Minato placed a Flying Thunder God Seal on him with a swift touch on his shoulder.

"I cannot give you the Kyuubi. As Hokage, such an act is nothing short of irresponsible."

Somehow, the Fourth Hokage figured Blank must have known that would be his response, based on what the boy said next.

"Fine. If not that, then seal him into your son as you already intended, and when your son becomes a Genin, make me his Jonin Sensei. Assuming I'm appointed one by then. I assure you that I will be the best person to teach him to tame Kurama."

Even Minato was a bit shocked at the proposal, but every second they spoke was another for the fox to destroy Konoha.

"I'll consider it if you show me your face."

Blank chuckled. "No, that's no fun. Within the next year, I will become a Konoha shinobi... When the time is right, how about I show you my mask then?"

Minato merely raised an eyebrow. "Is this just a game to you?"

"Not entirely... Everything I do has a reason. That doesn't mean I can't have some fun doing it, right?"

It was the Hokage's turn to chuckle, but here he cut Blank off.

"I go to suppress the Kyu- no, Kurama. I suppose I'll being seeing you soon, even if I don't know it..."

Minato was gone in a flash, just like his moniker.

Blank just smirked and returned to the shadows while leaving his marked cloak behind, the first seeds of his plan having been sewn.

Meanwhile, Minato arrived to face the Kyuubi right on time with Naruto and Kushina at his side, but he was forced to use the Flying Thunder God Barrier to send another Bijudama away from the village.

Jiraiya looked quite relieved to see his student arrive, but the other two Sannin and the Third could only wonder why he arrived with his son, and especially to see Kushina so well after the extraction of a Tailed Beast. None of them had time to voice their thoughts before Minato himself spoke.

"Jiraiya, I have a very important request of you. I need your help to seal the Nine-Tails within Naruto. Alone, it's chakra is too much, but together..."

Needless to say, the Pervy Sage was flabbergasted by the request.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

The Fourth responded with total conviction.

"Okay."

Jiraiya expression turned serious instantly, and he cracked his knuckles while he thought of everything he would need for the sealing ritual.

"Thank you. Third, remain here with Kushina and Naruto to keep an eye out for trouble. Before I arrived here, I was fighting the masked Uchiha that broke the fox's seal and placed it under genjutsu."

Hiruzen's eyes flashed open for a moment before he narrowed them and nodded firmly. The same man that killed Biwako, surely.

"Understood."

Minato nodded respectfully in return and then turned around to face the snarling Kyuubi.

"Orochimaru, help me get the fox's attention and bind him while Tsunade aids Kushina as best she can. If all else fails, her jutsu will be invaluable in restraining the Nine Tails."

Tsunade gave the Fourth a resolute nod and rasied her fist in the air.

"She will not die on my watch."

Minato vanished, already moving to confront Kurama. The others shared a nod amongst themselves before splitting up to see to their duties.

Kushina shared a glance with Minato just before he teleported, as well as a heartfelt smile.

"Good luck... Minato."

Kurama charged Minato to meet him head on, swiping his claws through the earth to fling dirt, rocks, and trees at the Fourth Hokage.

Minato flashed aside to dodge easily, spreading his Flying Thunder God kunai across the landscape well in advance.

Kurama was unable to predict where the Fourth would appear, so he swiped his tails around in one direction while slashing the other way with his right claw in what effectively cut off Minato's intended retreat, who appeared in the path of the Kyuubi's massive claw.

Without missing a beat, Minato formed a Rasengan in one hand, and then increased its size five times over. After impact, the whirlpool of chakra doubled in size for a moment before exploding into the fox's claw.

"Super Expanding Rasengan Stage Two!"

Kurama was knocked back by the jutsu, spinning around oddly due to his position and angle of impact. His claws showed signs of heavy damage, namely the formation of deep cracks along the surface. As the Tailed Beast stood back up snarling, one of his claws shattered at the tip.

The demonic howl that followed carried the force of an explosion as Kurama gathered mass amounts of chakra for a Tailed Beast Bomb, but Orochimaru seemed unaffected as he arrived beside Minato.

"So, what's your plan Hokage-sama?"

"Summon Manda."

Orochimaru glared but didn't refuse, forming the seals for the Summoning Technique at the same time as Minato. They both finished quickly, and suddenly the battlefield was covered in smoke from two boss summons.

Manda and Gamabunta stood side by side while their summoners stood on their heads. Orochimaru formed another set of hand seals that released a swarm of small snakes from his arms resembling a surge of water, which spread far and wide around Kurama.

Minato summoned two other toads however, Fukusaku and Shima each standing on one of his shoulders. They were experts with Natural Energy and were his only method to access Sage Mode due to the time it took to gather it himself. They quickly formed the bond with Minato and his face took on toad-like frame and features, while gold markings appeared around his eyes, branching across his now-wide cheekbones.

"Orochimaru, be prepared to bind him when I give the signal, it'll be hard to miss. We only have one shot at this."

"Very well. We'll be ready. Let's go, Manda."

"Let's tear him into fucking pieces!"

Orochimaru chuckled and urged the violent snake around to the left side while his swarm began to encircle the beast without getting close, creating a ring of snakes around the fox.

Minato took a deep breath, focusing intensely.

"Gamabunta, don't use any water jutsu against the Kyuubi. Instead, use oil."

"Understood! Don't want to mix water and oil, eh? Planning on burning the bastard alive?"

Minato frowned a bit, nodding gravely.

"I'm still not sure if it will be enough to really damage the fox, but it'll definitely keep him down for a moment or two."

"I sure hope so... Otherwise he'll be mad as a hornet."

"Indeed... That's why we only have one chance to end this. Ma, Pa, each of you take a Hiraishin kunai. You're going to have to throw at least one of them later."

"Just tell us when."

Just as Kurama accumulated a mountain-sized Bijudama, it condensed into a ball small enough for the fox to chomp down with a feral, hateful glare.

"What is he doing!?"

Minato instantly formulated half a dozen ways this could go down, but if all of that chakra became directed out of his mouth at a single point...

Minato quickly began forming hand seals for his Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder after throwing a Hiraishin kunai high into the air and drawing another.

Kurama released the explosive force of his Bijudama straight at Minato just as he predicted, shaking the very air around the battlefield and uprooting trees close by.

Minato's teleportation barrier whisked away the beam of chakra to the kunai Minato sent skyward, shooting like a beacon into the heavens before it lost steam.

Panting heavily from the strain despite the aid of Senjutsu, Minato took a moment to recover as Gamabunta charged forward swiftly forming hand seals. He fired three shots of oil from his mouth, spaced out to cover all of the fox.

"Toad Oil Bullet!"

Kurama glared and growled, swiping each of his tails like a whip, literally kicking up a storm. Each swipe of his tail generated a small twister, and they ravaged the land around before converging in front of the oil bullets, splattering most of it in the wind to rain back around the area. Kurama still got splashed himself, but to an almost negligible amount.

Through it all, Gamabunta drew his dagger and came jumping down right in front of Kurama, slashing downward as he landed only for his weapon to be pinched between two of the fox's tails, stopping in its tracks. It was easily cast aside to plunge into the ground.

However, the sword was a diversion for the last shot of oil which blasted forth in a stream at point blank range. Minato followed up nicely with a jet of flame as the oil burst from Gamabunta's mouth.

"Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"

Kurama howled as the flames engulfed him, but only until spun around while releasing a powerful shockwave of raw chakra to push off the flames, causing the forest to catch fire. Despite a direct hit, the Kyuubi seemed almost unfazed, if not just angry.

"As expected, I suppose... But the next attack will finish it."

Minato formed a Rasengan and held a Hiraishin kunai in his other hand, holding the Rasengan out in front of him. As he spoke, the jutsu underwent many changes.

"Ma, Pa, I need your help with this one. I'm going to apply shape and nature transformation to this, as well as Senjutsu. I need you to help me keep it stable. Truth be told, this jutsu isn't exactly complete yet... But if this works, it'll be an S-Rank Forbidden Technique for sure."

"We'll try."

By the end, Minato's Rasengan had grown twice its size and turned red, set aflame in a spiraling inferno, the toads on his shoulders helping him keep the mass of chakra together as asked.

"Gamabunta, jump back and as high as you can."

"Yeah!"

The Toad Boss sprung into the air away from Kurama, but as soon as they took off he gave another order.

"Ma, throw your kunai to the side of the Kyuubi and keep it afloat."

Shima did as asked immediately, imbuing wind nature chakra into the kunai as it was thrown so it would hover for a short time nearby the fox.

Kurama started charging another Bijudama, firing it prematurely when he noticed Minato's machinations.

"Pa, throw yours beneath him now!"

As the bomb closed in, Minato raised his own kunai in its path and formed the necessary seals with one hand, using a different and slightly longer set than usual. Still, his teleportation barrier was in time to redirect the weak Bijudama back at Kurama himself using Fukusaku's kunai.

Taken off guard having not having seen the kunai, Kurama was blasted in the chest by his own attack and sent reeling on his hind leg. Minato named the attack whatever came to mind, as usual.

"I call this..."

At the same time, Minato vanished from atop Gamabunta and appeared where Shima's kunai still hovered, and threw his own kunai in the air ahead of Kurama's path, high above the fox. Despite the impact, Kurama still made an effort to strike out at Minato as he appeared, releasing a destructive stream of wind from his mouth.

"Flying Thunder God: Level Five-"

Holding both hands together with his blazing Rasengan hovering out in front, Minato activated his Flying Thunder God again to appear at the kunai thrown over the fox's head, dodging the wind and pointing his trump card right at Kurama from above. As its name was spoken, Minato used his chakra to propel the jutsu through the air to strike the fox directly.

"-Vanishing Spiral Phoenix Burst Flash Toad Style!"

Kurama was impacted by the jutsu and driven back down into the ground in an instant, the resulting explosion around the Rasengan undergoing shape transformation to appear as the wings and tail of a phoenix.

Everyone who witnessed the technique would be amazed, Orochimaru especially was jealous of his reluctant ally, who had recently usurped the Hokage title he so craved. Jiraiya arrived on scene in time to catch the spectacle up close as well, holding nothing but pride in his student.

Orochimaru never gave Kurama a chance to recover. Without regard for the flames obscuring the fox with their volume, his horde of snakes swarmed the Kyuubi. Furthermore, he summoned an additional nine large snakes, each brown and nearly identical, all of which struck and bound one of the fox's tails. Manda bound the fox across its chest, biting down on the Kyuubi's shoulder to paralyze him.

Kurama could do nothing but glare as a slow-breathing Minato landed beside Jiraiya, who already had the alter prepared with Naruto wrapped on top.

"Naruto... One day you'll understand why I chose you to bear this burden. I know you will grow to tame the fox and become the Child of Prophecy. That Masked Man intends to rule the world... This is only the beginning."

Minato and Jiraiya knelt over Naruto and began forming the seals to begin the sealing process, beginning simultaneously.

"Eight Trigrams Sealing."

"Eight Trigrams Sealing."

Within seconds, the entirety of the roaring Kyuubi was sucked inside the infant Naruto, finally bringing an end to what would later become known as the Kyuubi Incident. In this world, Kushina miraculously survived thanks to her Uzumaki vitality and Tsunade's vast medical knowledge. Naruto Uzumaki would grow up knowing the love of his family.

#

Makoto Nara awoke at age six in the starting location he originally selected for himself during the creation of the universe. Being older than he actually was, he opted not to have a large family that would control his future in a way that interfered with his ultimate plans. He was capable of making those important decisions for himself, so he was born into the Nara Clan, notorious for their laid-back attitude.

Makoto with his honed mind would fit in with the clan perfectly, and they would likely give him the most freedom to do as he pleased. He briefly considered being born an Uchiha or Senju instead, but he didn't want to take the spotlight of the story from the main cast, he wanted to observe them more than anything. Instead, he had more of a supporting role in mind for himself.

Thanks to his Admin Privileges, Makoto was able to simply fast forward through his baby years without losing awareness of what happened in them. With his prior life experience, he was hailed as a genius even among the Nara's, given he could speak like an adult from the moment his vocal cords developed properly. Makoto was not afraid to cause a riot with his wealth of knowledge and insane development, and did not hesitate to begin shinobi training. His parents Hiyama Nara and Shirobara Nara did nothing but support him.

Makoto made a pit stop to intrude on the Kyuubi incident as Blank, but resumed and ultimately stopped fast-forwarding on the day he graduated from the academy, in fact the same day as Itachi. They had both graduated after being enrolled for a single year, and the duo was on track to become famous across the village as eternal rivals much like Hatake Kakashi and Maito Gai.

After resuming, the Network gave Makoto a helpful reminder.

[Please review your status after Fast Forwarding.]

"Show Status."

Character Name: Makoto

Alias (es): Blank

Age: Seven

Birth Month: July

Gender: Male

Blood Type: O

Height: 46in (3ft 10in)

Weight: 64lbs (Lean)

Notable Features: Genius Intellect due to extensive knowledge of the Naruto Universe and previous life.

Family Members: Shirobara Nara and Hiyama Nara.

Affiliation: Konohagakure

Occupation: Shinobi In-Training

Village Rank: Academy Student

Personal Goal: Makoto has resolved to enjoy his new life to the fullest, living an epic story alongside some of his favorite characters.

Stats:

Level: 5

Income: 500 Ryo - Weekly

EXP: 142/435 (INT + WIS + STR + VIT + DEX + LUC x LVL)

HP: 90 [LVL X (STR x VIT)]

SP: 120 [LVL X (STR x DEX)]

INT: 30

WIS: 40

STR: 3

VIT: 6

DEX: 8

LUC: 3

Chakra Pool (Passive): 1200 (INT x WIS)

Chakra Pool (Active): 60 [(INT x VIT)/STR=\=10]

Chakra Control: 21.8% [Before 50%, decreases chakra cost by the same amount. After 50%, increase jutsu magnitude by the same amount.] [+0.3% for each point in INT and WIS. +0.1% for each point in DEX.]

Passive Chakra Recovery Rate: 12.4% per hour. (+0.5% per point in LUC. +0.5% per CC Percent.)

HP Recovery Rate: 6.1% per hour. (+0.5% per point in LUC. +0.1% per point in VIT and WIS.)

SP Recovery Rate: 4.8% per hour. (+0.5% per point in LUC. +0.1% per point in STR and INT.)

Jutsu List:

Non-Elemental

Shadow Possession Technique [LVL: 7]

Enclosing Technique (Store) [LVL: 10]

Unsealing Technique (Retrieve) [LVL: 10]

Cloak of Invisibility Technique [LVL: 10]

Rope Escape Technique [LVL: 10]

Transformation Technique [LVL: 10]

Body Replacement Technique [LVL: 10]

Body Flicker Technique [LVL: 3]

Clone Technique [LVL: 5]

Skills:

Leaf Concentration Exercise (LVL: MAX)

Hand Seals (LVL: 6)

Climbing (LVL: 8)

Stealth (LVL: 10)

Fighting Style: Short-Mid Range Support Ninjutsu/Unbalancing Defensive Taijutsu

Tactics: Manji Formation

Weapons: Kunai

Summary: Makoto is a highly trained child that drilled the basics of being a ninja into his body using effective methods derived from memories in his past life. He is a true inheritor of Hashirama's Will of Fire and intends to support Naruto in his destiny as the Child of Prophecy and his dream of becoming Hokage.


	2. Chapter 2: Teamwork

Makoto gathered in the early afternoon with his new team to meet their sensei. He knew all of the options since he'd manipulated the timeline up to last year, but ultimately, he had no idea what the end result would be after his control was released.

The previous day, Daikoku Funeno-sensei announced the teams. Dokan Asaji, Koen Sarutobi, and Yumi Uchiha became Team 1. Canon prevailed as Shinko Inari, Tenma Izumo, and Itachi Uchiha formed Team 2. Finally, Makoto Nara, Kinoha Senju, and Tsukirama Kato joined Team 3. The rest were just names and faces that had little to do with Makoto's plan, so he tuned out the rest.

Dokan was a large kid with a brown mullet, thick eyebrows, and grey eyes. Koen possessed many common traits in his family, particularly the unruly brown hair, dark brown eyes, and somewhat small stature. Yumi Uchiha had long pine-colored hair, thin pointed eyebrows, and bold black eyes.

Shinko had light brown hair in braided twin-tails, wearing a custom cap-like forehead protector. Tenma styled his spiky grey hair primarily to the right side, and had black eyes. Itachi of course had his medium-length jet-black hair and onyx eyes, as well as the demeanor of a man more than thrice his age.

Makoto Nara had hazel eyes and tied the backside of his shoulder-length black hair in a spiky ponytail, while leaving his bangs hanging on each side like curtains. He also wore a black-banded forehead protector instead of the standard blue.

Kinoha Senju was the first daughter of Nawaki Senju who survived a pre-war skirmish due to his trusted teammate Uchiha Yakute. She shared her father's brown hair in a long ponytail and she had greyish-green eyes. She looked more like her aunt Tsunade than either of her parents, but was known to be comparatively level-headed.

Her cousin, Tsukirama Kato, shared a notable facial resemblance to his great-grandfather's brother, Tobirama Senju, mostly differentiated by his comparatively thin body frame. Tsukirama had spiky pale-blue hair, almost white, and emerald eyes. He was the second son of Tsunade Senju and Dan Kato, who narrowly survived the Second Shinobi World War due to Tsunade's efforts.

All three of their sensei arrived right on time, and Makoto was even a bit surprised at the results.

Leading Team 1 was Hizashi Hyuga, who Makoto knew had no curse seal beneath his forehead protector. In fact, there were not even branches among the Hyuga Clan like there had been in canon. They were all free to choose their fates.

Team 2 was led by Ebisu, a recently promoted Jonin with a strong desire to teach. Itachi's sensei from canon had been assigned a different team.

Finally, Team 3 was led by Shikaku Nara, a prominent strategist and the head of the Nara Clan. This was the most surprising thing, mostly because it was a direct cause of Makoto's existence. Shikaku had high expectations for Makoto and maybe even a few suspicions, and had actually requested to be the Jonin in charge of his team.

This turn of events was nothing but exciting to Makoto, who originally expected to be personally trained by Shikaku much later. The next few months leading up to the Chunin Exams were going to be very interesting. All of the fresh Genin were escorted out by their sensei, and Shikaku brought them out for yakiniku.

As they sat around the grilling meats, Shikaku began introductions with his new genin.

"Alright, let's all introduce ourselves. I'll begin. My name is Shikaku Nara, head of the Nara Clan and Jonin Commander, as well as Chief Strategist in times of war. My hobbies include sleeping, playing Go and Shogi, and I suppose tending the deer as well. My goal in life is to guard the peace and stability in Konohagakure so that I can live a quiet life at home. Makoto?"

Nodding, the young Nara started immediately. While conversing, they tended the meat and ate as they pleased.

"My name is Makoto Nara. I share a love of games like Shogi and Go, but prefer to spend my time training and studying. My ambition is to extend the peace we have here in Konoha to the rest of the Great Nations. I will not let it remain an ideal, and in fact I have a plan that may just ensure a world of peace, in time."

Shikaku's eyes twitched in surprise, and his other two students looked a bit starstruck.

"Ambitious indeed... I wish you luck in that endeavor. Moving on, Tsukirama."

All he gave was a sharp nod of acknowledgement.

"I am Tsukirama Kato. I have been trained as a medic by my mother since before I joined the Academy, taking much of my time for hobbies. However, I do have a fondness for crafting ninja tools. My dream is nothing impressive. I simply wish to live a full life while improving the quality of life for our shinobi."

"That dream is impressive and certainly admirable, even if it sounds simple. I look forward to your progress."

Without needing indication, Makoto's final teammate spoke up.

"My name is Kinoha Senju, wordplay on the Village's name that means 'Golden Leaf'. I've had a decent amount of medical training, but not to the same level as my cousin. I like to read and train hard, until and even after I reach my goal. That is... I want to become Hokage one day, and to surpass my aunt as the most powerful kunoichi in history."

"Hm, very commendable. The three of you should make a fine team. In fact, tomorrow morning, you will have a chance to prove it. I will stage a final test before you become full-fledged genin, so prepare yourselves."

All three shared glances before nodding resolutely.

"We'll pass no matter what!"

Shikaku smirked, finishing up the last few pieces of his meat before speaking.

"That's what I like to hear. We'll meet up at the Fifth Training Ground at 4am tomorrow."

And just like that, Shikaku flickered like a shadow and was gone. His students had larger appetites than he apparently, as they took 5-10 more minutes.

Makoto was the last to leave, heading straight for Training Ground Five. Looking at the time based on the position of the sun, he knew it was half-past 2pm, and he intended to use every hour until midnight to train. After all, there was still much about his "Administrator Privileges" that he did not know.

Makoto played around with all of the game commands he could think of, with very little success. If anything, he got more information from his failures. This world was less like a game, and more like... well, a real world consisting of complex properties.

There were a few game-like elements, but that was all. That meant he needed to broaden his perspective. Besides, no matter how much it may appear to be, life is never a game. One thing he did notice, however, is that his own Admin Privileges seemed to be defined by the Naruto World's rules. It made him wonder if the rules of his Privileges would change next time he was reincarnated, but dwelling on the idea was useless unless he planned on killing himself to test the theory, which he did not.

Ultimately, he learned only a handful of things from about an hour of shouting commands and phrases, even throwing in a few odd hand gestures.

Firstly, he discovered the System Menu and within it his Inventory, which was governed by his chakra capacity and control. Inside, it was like a single room where he could place as much as his chakra allowed.

Second, he found that he could physically enter his own inventory, and he could only assume other people or sentient beings could enter as well, if he brought them in.

Third, Makoto realized that not only did he have hidden skills that were revealed as he utilized them, but he could even create new skills. Furthermore, many skills had very specific requirements that had to be met before he could so much as attempt them. This process of toying with skill creation resulted in several new skills for Makoto to improve, and a few to strive for.

Now came Makoto's biggest concerns. His Leaf Concentration was maxed out, and he could only guess that it was due to his chakra control, which should have been far beyond the average genin. He thus decided to try applying his chakra to a kunai in various ways, resulting in the creation of more advanced skills.

**[New Skills have been revealed/added!]**

**System {Menu}**

**Cooking {LVL: 2}**

**Cleaning {LVL: 5}**

**Meditation {LVL: 1}**

**Academy Taijutsu (LVL: 10)**

**Observation {LVL: 4}**

**Shurikenjutsu {LVL: 6}**

**Genjutsu {LVL: 8}**

**Chakra Flow Technique: Apply chakra to objects to augment physical properties such as sharpness, durability, or reach by extension of chakra. {LVL: 0}**

**Shape Transformation: Ability to manipulate Chakra into different shapes, increasing versatility of the jutsu depending on circumstances. {LVL: 0}**

**Nature Transformation: Ability to apply elements to chakra to further increase power or utility in many ways. {LVL: 0 Tip: Speak to your sensei to discover your Nature Affinity.}**

Makoto figured most of his hidden skills would surface as time went on, but he wasn't particularly worried about them. So far, they'd all been basic skills belonging to pretty much everyone, and each still increased in level if it was used without Makoto realizing it was even a registered Skill.

There was still a lot of time in the day to train, but the first thing Makoto did with his new skills was scope out the Training Ground, every inch of it. By doing this, Makoto gained 8 levels in Observation and had the groundwork of what he'd need to make a plan against Shikaku-sensei.

Once Makoto reached level 10, he chose a perk for Observation, which already allowed him to see anything in sight with utmost precision and clarity, that displays messages about events that occurred if any evidence was left behind.

Next, he tried to raise the level of some of his basic Academy Jutsu, particularly the Enclosing, Unsealing, Body Replacement and Transformation techniques. However, he quickly realized no progress had been made in either skill, despite another hour of practice. Frustrated, Makoto opened his system again to decipher the problem.

Each jutsu, among a couple others, was locked at Level 10. Makoto selected the jutsu and another menu popped up.

**[You have selected a Jutsu that has Perks left unclaimed. Would you like to upgrade them now Y/N?]**

Makoto probably would have smashed the Yes button into pieces if it had a physical form.

***SELECTED PERKS WILL BE UNDERLINED**

**Enclosing Technique (Choose One)**

**This Jutsu is currently capable of storing small solid objects with a limited capacity based on mass.**

**Tier 1 Perk: Increased Size/State of Matter/Increased Capacity**

**Effect: Can now store liquids.**

**Unsealing Technique (Choose One)**

**This Jutsu is currently capable of releasing a sealed object at a fixed location.**

**Tier 1 Perk: Increased Propulsion/Increased Control**

**Effect: Allows for sealed objects to be released in motion, effective for use with ninja tools such as shuriken.**

**Body Replacement Technique (Choose One)**

**This Jutsu allows the user to switch places with a small nearby object.**

**Tier 1 Perk: Increased Size/Increased Distance/Reduce Hand Seals**

**Effect: Can now perform the jutsu with four hand seals.**

**Transformation Technique (Choose One)**

**This jutsu allows the user to take on the form of another person or object of similar mass.**

**Tier 1 Perk: Increased Details/Increased Size Variance/Increased Durability**

**Effect: Transformations can withstand general contact but is dispelled by relatively minimal force.**

**Cloak of Invisibility Technique (Choose One)**

**This jutsu allows the user to change the appearance of fabrics to camouflage themselves with their surroundings using simple patterns, such as walls or fences.**

**Tier 1 Perk: Increased Complexity/Increased Size**

**Effect: Can be used to camouflage with more complex backgrounds, such as plants and debris.**

**Rope Escape Technique (Choose One)**

**This jutsu allows the user to escape bondage by displacing small sections of rope with chakra, making the rope appear to unravel itself.**

**Tier 1 Perk: Increased Size/Material Variability/Increased Force**

**Effect: The jutsu can displace different materials, such as wires. Cannot be used on solid metal bindings such as chains or cuffs.**

**Academy Taijutsu (Choose One)**

**This is the Academy standard-taught taijutsu. You currently favor the basic defensive kata.**

**Tier 1 Perk: Increase DEF/Increase OFF/Increase DEX**

**Effect: Your Taijutsu has been trained to use more subtle techniques in order to use the opponents Taijutsu style against them, often by redirecting their attack or disrupting their balance.**

Okay... So, each jutsu has perks, some more than others. Makoto wondered how skill caps worked exactly, after having seen MAX skills already. He theorized that a skill would become maxed out after having achieved all perks, rather than any specific level. Perks were seemingly acquired every 10 levels, which would only become harder to gain as time went on.

He selected each of his perks carefully, and was more than satisfied with the results. Next, he still had a few skills that were close to acquiring a perk. Problem was, his time had dwindled until he could only train for 3 more hours. He could only upgrade one more skill most likely, and ultimately decided to practice his genjutsu which only needed 2 levels.

At level 10, the perk choice came up.

**Genjutsu (Choose One)**

**This is a general technique classification for basic genjutsu applications, currently limited to sensory interference that cannot incapacitate the target. *Depending on choices a new jutsu will be created.**

**Tier 1 Perk: Increase Efficiency/Increase Power/Choose Specialization: Sight/Sound/Smell/Taste/Touch**

**[By choosing this perk, you are able to perform and create jutsu that is activated visually, and improves skill at altering or overwriting the target's visual perception, showing them visions that are capable of indirectly manipulating the target. Would you like to begin developing a new jutsu? Y/N?]**

Makoto pressed yes, and was then shown a prompt for the beginnings of the jutsu.

**[Derive from a learned technique/Create from scratch]**

After some thought, Makoto decided to start with a derivative technique. From the list of his known jutsu, he was torn between attempting to apply genjutsu to his Shadow Possession Jutsu or his Clone Technique. Ultimately, he chose Shadow Possession due to the primary use of Yin chakra in the Nara Hiden Techniques. Still, he already had some good ideas in mind.

**[Would you like to name your new jutsu now? Y/N]**

Makoto choose to wait to name his jutsu, and a new skill was created immediately after.

Registered a new technique!

***Unnamed Shadow Possession Genjutsu {LVL: 0}**

This entry will be updated to reflect the progress made in creation of the genjutsu.

Huh. Neat and simple. Now came the experimentation. There was about 30 minutes left for Makoto to test the waters of his new technique, and he wasted no time getting down to it. He bound an unfortunate bird perched upon a tree branch using Shadow Possession, and then started mixing a genjutsu into his shadow once the Possession was complete.

At first, his shadow merely seemed to wobble and flicker upon the ground, but within 10 minutes he completed the basics of the jutsu and gave it a name. After 30, he raised it to the next level.

***No birds were harmed in the making of this jutsu.**

**Updated Entry: Shadow Binding Illusion {LVL: 1}**

**This jutsu is made to closely resemble advanced Nara Hiden, currently only the Shadow Strangulation Technique, by showing a solid shadow rise out of a Shadow Possession Technique after it successfully made contact.**

"Phew... I'm as ready as I can be, now."

Makoto relaxed a little, and his eyes began to search out a comfortable-looking tree to sleep against, not seeming to be bothered by the lack of sleep he'd be getting. In his previous life, he would often sacrifice his sleep for production, and was accustomed to functioning with just a few hours of sleep. His internal clock set, Makoto closed his eyes and fell asleep remarkably fast.

#

4am closed in by the second and Makoto woke up to a new prompt that he hadn't expected with only 20 seconds left.

**[After sleeping, your HP and SP have refilled completely. -1% chakra, SP, and HP recovery for 3 hours due to sleeping uncomfortably.]**

"Seriously? A debuff first thing in the morning? At least it healed me up..."

Makoto sighed and swiped the menu away, turning his attention to his surroundings. Assuming his teammates and sensei had any sense of professionalism, they'd be here. Correct he was, Makoto spotted Tsukirama and Kinoha in the middle of the field and appeared beside them with the Body Flicker Technique, much to their surprise. Kinoha in particular voiced her disbelief.

"Woah! That's a Chunin level jutsu at least! How'd you learn the Body Flicker!?"

Makoto smirked ever-so faintly, but his exaggerated shoulder shrug masked it.

"I read it in a scroll somewhere."

Kinoha scoffed, but didn't seem ready to drop the issue.

"Yeah right, like someone was careless enough to leave Advanced Ninjutsu just lying around the house for anyone to find. Not even the Nara Clan would mishandle such things!"

"You'd be surprised..."

Makoto was amused more than bothered, mostly because he wasn't sure about that last part. All his comment earned was a simmering glare from Kinoha, not buying a word.

Shikaku-sensei arrived within moments, which made for a positive first impression. As much as Makoto liked Kakashi, he most certainly didn't want a teacher like him. One good look at Shikaku however told Makoto that his sensei had been watching and waiting for everyone else to arrive before revealing himself, thanks to his new Observation perk.

"Good, you're all on time. Let's begin the 'mission'. The goal of this exercise will be to display your ability to work with a team. Anyone who cannot function as a group will be sent back to the Academy, so come at me like you want to kill me understood?"

**[A mandatory quest has begun. {Show Shikaku-sensei that your team is ready to graduate from the Academy!} Failure to complete the quest will result in your team being sent back to the Academy.]**

Makoto took a deep breath and focused himself, nodding resolutely.

Kinoha's smile wavered momentarily at being asked to use lethal force, but refocused and nodded as well.

Tsukirama hardly seemed bothered, save for slightly narrowed eyes, and nodded in acknowledgement.

The three fresh genin stood together while their sensei's expression tightened, and then he was gone in a swirl of dancing leaves.

Makoto tilted his head to the side a bit and chuckled.

"Uhh... Well, I guess we have to find him now. Manji Formation to get a good look?"

His teammates nodded, taking a moment to look around the area as they shifted their positions. They each shared a glance between themselves, and then moved to stand back to back with each other in the Manji Formation with kunai drawn.

For the next dozen seconds, nothing happened. Three pairs of eyes flickered across the landscape, searching for the slightest clue.

Finally, Makoto's Observation picked up evidence of activity in three different areas, each spread out. Nothing seemed to be there anymore, but according to his perk something had been at each within seconds of each-other.

Nothing about the situation felt right to Makoto, even though they were just false trails. It felt like a test. Did they split up, sit here and wait, or go down a path together?

"Kinoha, Tsukirama, I found three false trails. I can only guess he's set traps or an ambush somewhere. What do you want to do?"

Kinoha didn't seem to require much thought.

"Obviously we're sticking together, but which way should we proceed?"

Makoto smiled. He was going to like this team, for sure.

"Well, considering our opponent, he's likely in the heart of the woods. His shadows will be more effective there... As will mine. If he wants to see us at our best, I think that's where it will be."

Both of the Senju seemed slightly impressed at the younger kid's reasoning, finding themselves unable to disagree. Tsukirama spoke for both of them.

"Then we have our course. I'll take the lead, if that's alright?"

Makoto nodded, as did Kinoha. "I'll follow behind you then, Tsuki."

"Perfect, I was thinking of taking the rear. Let's show Shikaku-sensei what we can do."

They all smiled and ran off into the woods one behind the other, intently focused on their surroundings to make sure there were no traps. Luckily there didn't seem to be any, so the trio pushed onward.

However, after a few seconds, Makoto's Observation picked up a set of footprints hidden around the corner of a tree that were deeper than the rest that Shikaku-sensei left behind, and on further examination, still retained a bit of warmth.

"Stop!"

Tsukirama and Kinoha stumbled slightly as they stopped their momentum mid-run, sparing Makoto a questioning glance.

"There may be a trap lying ahead, it looks like Sensei stopped here for a little too long."

Makoto's eyes wandered around the ground, up the trees and through the leaves and bushes, and finally he found the trap. It was not particularly complex, but seemed to be derived from a jutsu Makoto recognized as an explosive tag barrier of some kind.

He also noticed that they were already caught inside the trap. If they were to try and escape the square, they would be pinched by explosions from each corner. The only difference between this trap and any other was, the tags were spread wide so that those caught in the trap wouldn't be seriously harmed, probably just spooked and disoriented.

"Actually... I was wrong. We've already been caught."

Kinoha and Tsukirama both showed signs of surprise, though neither of them panicked and soon their shock turned into focus. All three of them looked around for a gap or any sign of their Sensei, while trying to think of a way to escape.

It took some effort, but he soon realized that there was no way Shikaku would have set this trap if there wasn't a way out. They were merely genin, and explosives were obviously extremely dangerous, as even a single mistake could kill any one of them.

However, he couldn't see a single way to escape with the skillset he or his team had, at least to his knowledge. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he began to admit that he had no idea how to bypass the trap.

"I'm sorry, you two... I can't see-"

Suddenly, the young Nara realized his oversight and shut up, earning the attention of his comrades. The one thing he should have remembered, no matter what. As Kakashi once told his students, he needed to see underneath the underneath. Ironically enough, the statement held a double reference that Makoto idly wondered if Shikaku had designed as part of the test.

Normal explosive tag barriers couldn't be tampered with easily. Unless the entire fuinjutsu formula is destroyed, the tag would self-destruct at the slightest pull of the paper. If he couldn't see a way out, he needed to look underneath the tag- by simply pulling it off. Of course, in the off chance he was mistaken and the trap was fully functional, Makoto knew none of them could remove it directly.

All-in-all, it seemed a test appropriate for Shikaku.

Makoto knelt and placed his palm upon the ground, looking up into one of the trees that he spotted an explosive tag on. Taking a deep breath, he formed a single hand seal and the shadows beneath them suddenly became darker, and seemed to move in strange ways as the darkness extended along the forest floor, snaking its way up the tree. Up in the treetops, Makoto's shadow found and possessed a squirrel.

"On my say, run in the same direction my shadow went."

His teammates could only spare a questioning glance before nodding, as neither had any better ideas for a breakthrough.

As the squirrel found the explosive paper tag and slipped its teeth underneath the paper to rip it off, Kinoha looked back with hesitation clear in her eyes.

"…What about you, Makoto?"

The young Nara just smiled, appreciative of the concern but not seeming to be worried himself.

"Don't worry, Kinoha. I'll be right behind you."

His evident confidence reassured her and Kinoha steeled her nerves. Makoto urged the squirrel to rip the tag off, calling out to his teammates a moment before.

"Now!"

Tsukirama and Kinoha leap towards the tree that previously held a dangerous trap, and three distinct explosions rang behind them as they swiftly looked back in fear for Makoto, only for their resourceful ally to land on a branch beside them, though holding himself up against the trunk while clutching the side of his head. In his other hand, he held the explosive tag removed by the squirrel, which he then pocketed.

"Holy hell, those shockwaves wrecked my head..."

Shaking his aching head, Makoto began to refocus and exchanged looks with Tsukirama and Kinoha, adding in a brief nod of appreciation for their concern and trust in him.

"Let's keep moving. Sensei will be expecting us if he isn't already on the way here, or even here already..."

They all took off once again with the same formation, and quickly found themselves in the heart of the forest of the Fifth Training Ground. A small stream cut through the thick forest, which forked off into two smaller streams. Behind the fork was a large boulder, likely the cause of the split stream at some point in the past.

As Makoto 'observed' the boulder, he discovered a few things. Firstly, that their sensei was hiding behind the boulder, or at least left behind evidence that he went behind it within the last minute. Second, he discovered that Shikaku had already prepared a complicated looking trap for them, if the dozen or so crossing wires strung about the area were any indication. Third, he discovered secondary traps within the stream as well, though he couldn't tell what without getting closer, and all he could see were imprints of where his sensei had been while setting them up.

This left the trio with very few options, however they were not completely powerless to force Shikaku from his hiding place. Makoto had one method that may allow them to accomplish this task easily, and he attempted it immediately, without consulting his teammates. Thus, when the shadow of Makoto's Shadow Possession Jutsu struck out upon the grass underfoot, they nearly jumped in surprise thinking it was their Sensei's shadow.

Makoto's shadow possession captured the shadow of the boulder, and extended beyond it in the hopes of catching Shikaku. Unsure if it was a success, Makoto began to walk to the left, and after several steps, Shikaku stepped out from the opposite side of the rock with a smirk on his face, a mixture of pride and curiosity. That smirk was wiped off his face immediately when Makoto donned his own, and the formation of three hand seals caused the shadow string connecting them to twitch.

Shikaku eyed the shadow with interest before it began to rise up, twisting around his ankles and slowly further up his body. Frankly, he was amazed. Not once in the history of the Nara Clan had an Academy Student, or a new Genin for that matter, ever successfully performed advanced Nara Hiden, such as Shadow Stitching or Shadow Strangulation. This was due to a different mixture of Yin chakra and Yang chakra during the molding process, particularly an increase in Yang chakra, allowing the Nara's Shadow Jutsu to gain physical form.

That's why, as the jutsu closed in on his neck, even he wasn't able to realize it was merely genjutsu due to his immense surprise- at first. Shikaku was more experienced with their clan jutsu than any living member, and so he knew how it felt to be under the effects of their signature jutsu. Makoto's apparent Shadow Strangulation did not feel the same at all. Yes, his body was frozen in place, but so was Makoto's. This meant that he couldn't move, or more accurately, if he did, Shikaku would be sure to realize it was just a simple Shadow Possession as his body would mimic Makoto's instead of being bound in place by the winding shadow hand. Furthermore, the pressure of the solidified shadow was not there, and couldn't be felt moving or choking him in the slightest.

Tsukirama and Kinoha, however, couldn't see the effects of the genjutsu, and became extremely confused for a few moments, until Shikaku spoke.

"I'm impressed, Makoto. It's no easy feat to combine techniques the way you just did, and it takes incredible ingenuity to utilize the predominately Yin Chakra of the Shadow Possession in order to lace it with a genjutsu... Many skills you have already shown are beyond the average genin, and even many chunin."

Makoto smiled at the praise, but did not lose focus or lower his guard. He could feel Shikaku loosening his grip over him with the Shadow Possession, estimating that he could hold him for only 30 seconds more.

"Thanks. Tsukirama, Kinoha, know any jutsu that could keep him bound long term?"

His teammates were still surprised at the explanation of whatever Makoto had done unbeknownst to them, but quickly focused up and tried to think. However, neither could do much beside tie their sensei up. They didn't even bother attempting that however, as any Jounin should be proficient enough with the Rope Escape Technique they teach in the Academy to escape.

Without many options, Makoto quickly began to run out of time.

"Alright... We have no choice but to attack. Sensei, feel free to pass us at any time... I'd rather not hurt you."

Tsukirama and Kinoha nodded and began performing their respective jutsu, while Shikaku just smiled and awaited his new students to launch their assault.

"Water Release: Water Bullet Technique!"

"Fire Release: Flame Bullet Technique!"

Kinoha sprayed a jet of water from her mouth at the same time that Tsukirama spit a small wave of flaming oil towards their sensei, who didn't seem to have a care in the world. Before either jutsu could hit, a flash of light exploded in the air above them, lasting for only a second.

The two jutsu collided and released an explosion of steam that further impaired their vision once their eyes recovered enough to open, and Shikaku used the cover to slip away unseen after dodging the combined jutsu. In the moment it took for the three genin to readjust their blinded eyes, Shikaku was gone.

"Crap... He broke the shadow by overwhelming the area with light, must have been some kind of light grenade, though it had no sound... I won't be able to capture him so easily again either."

Kinoha's eyes narrowed in thought and zipped around the forest, looking for any sign of their sensei. Tsukirama did the same, though he momentarily paused his thoughts to speak with Makoto who remained just as vigilant.

"I agree. However, if Kin and I can keep him still long enough, can you do it?"

Makoto's eyes lit up, and a grin spread across his face.

"Certainly. Here's my plan..."

Makoto and his team did a quick huddle, backs turned to each other in Manji Formation so that they would not be taken off guard as they quietly discussed their next move. However, before even a minute passed, a man stood upon the massive boulder when an instant before there had been no sign of his presence, much less movement. Of course, this man was Nara Shikaku.

"If you think you have a shot... take it."

Team 3 narrowed their eyes at Shikaku as they stood side by side, and the first to move was Tsukirama. He leapt straight up at their sensei, not yet aware of the wire traps due to the dim lighting of the thick forest. Makoto had not had enough time to tell them about the traps, merely the plan of how to reach Shikaku in very simple terms.

"Don't hesitate!"

Makoto's advice came at the same time that Kinoha took action. She was not aware, but it was her duty to handle the first trap that would be tripped by Tsukirama. She quickly formed a short series of hand seals.

"Earth Release: Rock-Tatami Technique!"

Tsukirama nearly froze as he watched his sensei pull something he couldn't see, which had to be a wire. Thanks to Makoto's warning however, he steeled himself and pushed forward. Trusting in his team, he began forming a series of hand seals, ending on Tiger.

Kinoha's jutsu created six flat slabs of earth, each about 3ft in length and height, and 1ft thick. They shot from the ground spinning, three aimed on each side of Tsukirama just in time to meet a stream of shuriken on his right and left.

However, even Kinoha's wide earthen plates could not completely protect him. Two shuriken swiftly approached, but suddenly lost a significant amount of momentum- enough to have stopped spinning and began to descend. All of the genin saw Shikaku yank a wire right before the shuriken made impact.

Makoto realized that those 'dozens of wires' he saw were interconnected, and not only were these overlapping wires the mechanism for launching the shuriken, it also contained a failsafe to stop them. It proved to be far more complex than he originally gave it credit for.

Despite Tsukirama having been saved by Shikaku from the shuriken, not a single person involved could fault Makoto's plan, even with its risks.

The sole reason for this was the fact that, due to having completed the hand seals for his jutsu and letting it build up before launching from his mouth, Tsukirama would have dodged one kunai by tilting his head while twisting his body midair, and the second would have been only just knocked away by a desperate swipe of his hand. His injury would have been minimal and easily treated with his own medical ninjutsu, and he would still have been able to use his jutsu to its fullest.

Shattered rock and loose shuriken fell into the stream with a succession of splashes, and then Tsukirama fired his jutsu from above Shikaku at the peak of his leap, another burst of flaming oil.

"Fire Release: Flame Bullet Technique!"

Shikaku immediately realized the true aim of the flame oil, right at his feet where it would be able to splash across the entire top of the boulder, which would force him to jump from the rock, however he had two options as far as that went. Shikaku could jump down to Makoto and Kinoha now that Tsukirama had become isolated on the other side of the trap-laced stream, or he could target Tsukirama who was alone while Makoto and Kinoha still had to cross the trapped waters between them.

The Nara Clan Head still had ample traps in the stream, and another trap set by wires that were not meant to be set off by him, but one of his students if his other traps failed to prevent them from crossing. However, this strategy coming from Makoto appeared risky and perhaps a bit foolish. Against a far superior opponent, splitting up was unwise, and often deadly. Either the young Nara had an incredibly well-designed plan that could bypass the traps lain about, or he made a mistake that anyone else his age would have made many times over.

In either case, Shikaku believed his best course of action was to quickly engage Tsukirama. So far, they'd been working well together, so he decided that perhaps he should use this time to evaluate each of his genin's individual skills. Shikaku's thoughts were almost instantaneous, and he hopped backwards only a few feet, falling to the grassy forest floor and kept his eye on Tsukirama, who flipped in the air so that when he landed, they were both facing each other from a distance of about 5 meters.

Tsukirama took the Academy Taijutsu stance and stood still, keeping his eyes on Shikaku unwaveringly. The Nara Clan Head presumed that Tsukirama was attempting to buy time for his teammates to cross over, which was certainly a wise choice on his part. Even the few seconds they had been standing here could mean the difference between life and death on the battlefield.

Knowing this, Shikaku took a single step to which Tsukirama reacted immediately, sprinting straight at him with fierce resolve in his eyes. He led the assault with a right hook, coiling his body like a spring to utilize his momentum to strengthen his punch. Shikaku parried his wrist and then blocked Tsukirama's follow-up left uppercut by grabbing his fist and threw him overhead by it, straight at the giant boulder behind him.

Almost immediately after Tsukirama was thrown, an explosion went off inside the water of the stream on the right side. Shikaku narrowed his eyes knowing his trap beneath the waves may have been disabled, but now he was on full alert for Makoto and Kinoha to arrive and provide support.

Tsukirama handled his landing well, quickly twisting in the air so as to land upon the side of the boulder, immediately pushing off and leaping above Shikaku. In the air, Tsukirama flipped and began to build up a great deal of force as he extended his right leg when his descent began, dropping down on Shikaku with an axe kick. Unbeknownst to Shikaku, Tsukirama had laced his heel with chakra, which exploded with unnatural force on impact.

Shikaku raised his right forearm to block Tsukirama's kick, which surprised him immensely as the force caused him to skid backwards leaving a trail of displaced dirt and grass, and finally felt his new genin push off his arm to flip and reorient himself in the air and land in a defensive stance a few feet away.

However, as soon the Jounin Commander took his first step, a hand shot out of the ground beneath him and grasped his ankle. Shikaku smirked and stifled a chuckle as he foresaw what was about to happen, yet knew he could not stop it. As soon as Tsukirama called out, the match had been decided.

"Now!"

**Just after Tsukirama lured Shikaku off the boulder...**

Kinoha's heart nearly skip a beat when she saw shuriken still approaching Tsukirama, ultimately sighing in relief when he came out unscathed. She quickly glanced at Makoto to see what he was going to do. He had only been able to explain the parts they were responsible for, nothing of his own duties. So, when he removed an explosive tag that she recognized as the one he looted from the earlier trap, her eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing...?"

Makoto smiled faintly, and answered her question with his actions instead of words. He took a kunai out of his pocket and wrapped the explosive tag around the hilt. After that, he turned to her, and then activated his Shadow Possession Technique and used it on her. Kinoha just gasped lightly, though she had no idea what he was going to do with that, until the force holding her in place weakened until she could overcome it.

"Don't worry... Just get to Tsukirama. Once you grab hold of Sensei, even for a second, it'll be our victory."

Kinoha nodded with slight hesitation, and then formed a series of hand seals before the earth under her broke down into sand and she began to sink beneath the ground. Makoto gave one last smile to his teammate before her head fell beneath the sand. Kinoha delivered her parting words with a smirk.

"Twenty seconds is all I need."

As soon as she was gone, Makoto began to count. At eight seconds, he threw the explosive kunai into the stream beside where Shikaku had left evidence while setting his trap. At thirteen seconds, it detonated and a blast of water shot upward and in all directions, sure to grab Shikaku's attention for a moment long enough to pass the test.

**Present time...**

Finally, at twenty seconds exactly, Tsukirama called out for Makoto as he'd been asked. Shikaku knew it was over, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to simply let himself be captured by his genin. His effort was wasted as he expected though, when he realized that his body couldn't move.

He had known a Shadow Possession was coming, but for a moment he didn't understand where it had come from. When he noticed Kinoha's arm sticking out of the ground was just as still, he realized that she had been a stepping stone for Makoto's jutsu, which had traveled underground. With this, the test was over.

[Mandatory quest completed! Distributing EXP... You have leveled up! For actions taken during the quest, your attributes have increased. Furthermore, each level acquired will award you 5 attribute points to spend. Would you like to view your status now? Y/N]

Makoto selected no, preferring to wait until he could examine his choices in depth.

"Congratulations... You all pass, with flying colors. But there is still much you can do to improve. Let's review your actions from the start of this test, and use what we learned to develop training specific to your needs."

Makoto released his jutsu and they all gathered in front of the boulder, eager to hear Shikaku's assessment.

"Right from the beginning, the three of show showed the ability to coordinate, repurposing a defensive encirclement to view all directions without being left open to attack. Furthermore, Makoto, are you perhaps a sensor?"

Makoto didn't expect to be questioned so soon and his eyes showed a flicker of surprise, but he purged it from his expression and nodded, though slowly.

"Something like that... I've only been able to train this 'sense' or whatever it is to enhance my natural vision, so I was able to see that you had left signs of quickly moving to three different locations to lay a false trail. It became obvious you wanted us to consider the idea of splitting up to search, which would have led to the failure of this test."

Shikaku listened intently, and if he became suspicious of Makoto's 'sensory ability', he did not show it. He simply nodded, and continued the review.

"You are exactly correct. Thus, your quick decision to stay together along with Makoto's strategic assessment allowed you to quickly pursue me. However, despite your evident caution that I observed directly, you still fell into my trap. Do you know why this is?"

None of his students was able to answer his question, but he did not expect them to. After all, if traps were so easy to notice, nobody would use them.

"The reason you did not notice the trap, is simply because you did not look up. Furthermore, the footprints that Makoto discovered were left intentionally, in order to divert your attention to the ground. This is also the reason you were not able to follow my real trail, and had to resort to predicting my location, since I was leaping across the branches. It is such a simple thing, but many genin died in battle during past wars due to traps like these, that targeted the young and inexperienced. The variable with the most impact in all of this was that you three have not undergone Tree Climbing Practice. This is one of the first skills you will learn as a group, for good reason. Most importantly, after having encountered and escaped that trap, you will be far less likely to be caught in the same type of trap on the battlefield."

Shikaku leaned back against the boulder lazily as he continued.

"That being said, Makoto was the only one to notice the traps, and it was also him that solved the riddle of the explosive trap and escaped. Would you care to explain how you reached that conclusion?"

Makoto nodded, and swiftly detailed his thought process at the time.

"To be honest, I was very nearly stumped by that trap. However, I recalled a phrase that I'd heard teachers at the Academy explaining to some of the older students. They said that a ninja must be able to look underneath the underneath, and explained that it was a crucial skill for seeing through deceptions."

Shikaku smiled, not having any reason to doubt where he'd heard the phrase.

"Excellent. That was the ultimate answer to that trap, though I'm sure you may have questions of your own regarding the explosives?"

Makoto shook his head, and Tsukirama remained silent. Kinoha, however, looked a bit angry.

"Sensei... I understand that we may not have been in real danger from the explosive trap, but that is still extremely dangerous to have put genin through! If we had been foolish and not realized we were caught, which we very nearly didn't, or even made a mistake while removing the tag, someone could have DIED!"

Shikaku closed his eyes and nodded, acknowledging her concerns.

"You are right. While you are seeing it from another perspective, that is the very lesson in which you have all now been taught, and with me there nothing would have ever happened. Those traps are extremely dangerous, and can hurt or kill even Jounin if they find themselves caught inside unaware. In fact, this trap was included in this test for you three specifically, it is not something every genin will be subjected to by their Jounin. The reason for this is because your father, Nawaki Senju, experienced this very same trap first hand, not long after becoming a genin... and was put in life-threatening condition, along with one of his teammates that rescued him at the very last second."

Kinoha's eyes went wide as she connected the dots between his statement and the story she heard about her father almost dying years before the Second Shinobi World War had broken out. After that, she couldn't bring herself to contest Shikaku's reasoning.

"After escaping the trap, you found me here, where Makoto was able to successfully lure me out of hiding with the jutsu I described at the time, into a position the two of you could attack. This probably doesn't need saying, but it is very clear that you three all have a grasp of ninjutsu beyond your peers, particularly Makoto, and Kinoha. I noticed that you used three different jutsu, two of Earth Nature and one of Water. Not only is it rare to know your affinities by now, but to use them in a single jutsu is already difficult for even those few, much less three. While I could say this is because of who your family is, Tsukirama would be held to the same standard, which is not the case. Your test scores in the Academy this year were much lower than the previous year, so I assume the cause for that is that you were getting more specialized training... Tsukirama only used one jutsu, however that last kick of his was laced with chakra. While still lacking the control to properly utilize, it seems you have picked up on your mother's monstrous strength. Finally, I understand that Makoto's sensory ability allowed him to detect the traps I prepared, and was able to form a workable strategy to counter them without knowing exactly what might happen. I imagine that Kinoha was only the first line of defense, and that Makoto would have done something to ensure his safety if she had failed?"

Makoto gave a shaky, nervous laugh while scratching his cheek.

"I did... I was going to use the Body Flicker to push him out of the way. It was my plan, so if anyone was going to be hurt by the traps, it was me. Thankfully, it didn't come to that."

Shikaku was slightly surprised, he had expected more from Makoto and yet while the method he would have used was crude, it showed how much he cared for his team and his willingness to protect them.

"I see... Well, your diversion using the salvaged explosive tag in the stream was the final deciding factor, and the result of your plan was a resounding success. But with this, I have laid bare your shortcomings. Starting at noon today, we will begin group training, and aim to turn those vulnerabilities into strengths. I expect to see the same determination in training that you three demonstrated in this test. There is still... another six hours until noon. I suggest you two eat and rest up, as you have used a fair amount of chakra. Makoto... remain here for now. You can join up with them shortly."

The three genin exchanged looks, and then nodded before Kinoha and Tsukirama turned and waved, walking towards the edge of the forest where they started out while the former whispered swiftly to Tsukirama, who merely glanced back at Makoto before turning his gaze back to the village.

Makoto remained as instructed, and sat down lazily as he released a powerful yawn. Shikaku still leaned against the boulder, but his gaze suddenly hardened as a serious tone set upon the pair of Nara clansmen.

"We need to talk."

* * *

Character Name: Makoto

Alias (es): Blank

Age: Seven

Birth Month: July

Gender: Male

Blood Type: O

Height: 46in (3ft 10in)

Weight: 64lbs (Lean)

Notable Features: Genius Intellect due to extensive knowledge of the Naruto Universe and previous life.

Family Members: Shirobara Nara and Hiyama Nara.

Affiliation: Konohagakure, Team 3.

Occupation: Shinobi

Village Rank: Genin

Personal Goal: Makoto has resolved to enjoy his new life to the fullest, living an epic story alongside some of his favorite characters.

Stats:

Level: 6

Rank: Genin

Income: 500 – Weekly Allowance [Perform Missions to gain Ryo.]

EXP: 12/540 (INT + WIS + STR + VIT + DEX + LUC x LVL)

HP: 108 [LVL X (STR x VIT)]

SP: 144 [LVL X (STR x DEX)]

UNSPENT POINTS: 5

INT: 30

WIS: 40

STR: 3

VIT: 6

DEX: 8

LUC: 3

Chakra Pool (Passive): 1200 (INT x WIS)

Chakra Pool (Active): 60 [(INT x VIT)/STR=\=10]

Chakra Control: 21.8% [Before 50%, decreases chakra cost by the same amount. After 50%, increase jutsu magnitude by the same amount.] [+0.3% for each point in INT and WIS. +0.1% for each point in DEX.]

Passive Chakra Recovery Rate: 12.4% per hour. (+0.5% per point in LUC. +0.5% per CC Percent.)

HP Recovery Rate: 6.1% per hour. (+0.5% per point in LUC. +0.1% per point in VIT and WIS.)

SP Recovery Rate: 4.8% per hour. (+0.5% per point in LUC. +0.1% per point in STR and INT.)

Ninutsu:

Non-Elemental

Chakra Flow Technique: [LVL: 0]

Shape Transformation: [LVL: 0]

Nature Transformation: [LVL: 0]

Shadow Possession Technique [LVL: 7]

Enclosing Technique (Store) [LVL: 10]

Unsealing Technique (Retrieve) [LVL: 10]

Cloak of Invisibility Technique [LVL: 10]

Rope Escape Technique [LVL: 10]

Transformation Technique [LVL: 10]

Body Replacement Technique [LVL: 10]

Body Flicker Technique [LVL: 3]

Clone Technique [LVL: 5]

Taijutsu:

Academy Taijutsu (LVL: 10)

Genjutsu:

Basic Genjutsu [LVL: 10]

Shadow Binding Illusion [LVL: 1]

Bukijutsu:

Shurikenjutsu [LVL: 6]

Skills:

System [Menu]

Observation [LVL: 12]

Cooking [LVL: 2]

Cleaning [LVL: 5]

Meditation [LVL: 1]

Leaf Concentration Exercise (LVL: MAX)

Hand Seals (LVL: 6)

Climbing (LVL: 8)

Stealth (LVL: 10)

Fighting Style: Short-Mid Range Support Ninjutsu/Unbalancing Defensive Taijutsu

Tactics: Manji Formation, Line Formation.

Weapons: Kunai.

Summary: Makoto is a highly trained child that drilled the basics of being a ninja into his body using effective methods derived from memories in his past life. He is a true inheritor of Hashirama's Will of Fire and intends to support Naruto in his destiny as the Child of Prophecy and his dream of becoming Hokage. Until that day comes, he intends to do everything he can to bring peace to Konoha, and the rest of the Elemental Nations.


End file.
